Auditor independence issues in China

Abstract

China is conducting an open market policy and Chinese firms are seeking independent audit services. As a result, the Chinese accounting profession is expanding at a tremendous speed, and has played an important role in economic reform. However, Chinese auditing operates in a very different environment from those experienced in Western countries. Consequently, there is considerable concern about auditor independence in China. The purpose of this paper is to examine some reasons for a lack of independence in the Chinese audit profession. We critically review empirical evidence regarding auditor practice in China. We then make some suggestions that might improve auditor independence.

Citation

Yang, L., Dunk, A., Kilgore, A., Tang, Q. and Lin, Z.J. (2003), "Auditor independence issues in China", Managerial Finance, Vol. 29 No. 12, pp. 57-64. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074350310768643